Purse lighter



Feb. 6, 1951 v c. H. BAUGH 2,540,470

PURSE LIGHTER Filed Feb. 27. 1948 patented 6,

Charles Henry Baugh, RichmondQVa. Application February 27,1948, vserial No. 11,595

3 Claims. l

rI/his invention 'relates to purse lighters used in connection with handbags,v pocketbooks, baggage and the like. I v

One of the objects of this invention is the pro- .vision of a handbag equipped with means for illuminating the inside of the bag or enclosure when it is opened. l Another object of this invention is the provision of a handbag which when opened automatically illuminates the interior portion thereof, and

.when closed prevents such interior illumination.

4A further object of this invention is the provisionV of a handbag having means for automatically illuminating the interior portion thereof and also means for preventing illumination.

Other objects and features will -more fully appear from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig 1 is a sectional perspective view of a handbag; Fig. 2 a fragmentary View of the bag showing the illuminating system disposed therein; Fig. 3v a sectional view along lines 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view of the bag, and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit.

Referring to the drawings, a handbag or purse I" of conventional or other preferred construction consists of jaws 2-3 pivotally connected together to form the mouth or opening of said bag. The jaws, which form the frame, are constructed preferably of material which is non-conducting with respect to electricity. As is well known in the art and is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sidewalls of the bag are secured to the frame to form the pocket or container portion of the bag.

Disposed in the end portion of jaw 2 is a-chamber 4 which adjoins the smallest bore portion or orice 5. A threaded metallic ring 6 is secured in the outer end of said chamber in the largest bore portion thereof, and adapted to accommodate in threadable fashion a metal cover l provided with a handle 8 for fastening and unfastening said cover, to and from said ring. Thecover has connected thereto a metallic spring 9 adapted to engage the metallic portion of a battery cell I that is electrically' connected in series fashion to va battery cell II; said battery cells being housed in chamber 4 and occupy an intermediate portion of the chamber 4 located between the smallest bore portion and the largest bore portion. The intermediate portion of the chamber 4 has a cross sectional area smaller than the largest bore portion but larger than the smallest bore portion. These bore portions are preferably coaxial, however, it is merely essential that these bore portions be in direct longitudinal communication.

An electrical contact I2 is mounted in threadable fashion in orifice 5 and one of its ends engages battery cell IfI Vwhile the other engages one end of a lamp I3 mounted in threadable fashion in a socket I4 in said jaw. A chamber i5 houses the lamp and secured to its surface is a metallic 'reector I6 which Aconnects with the threaded kportion of the lamp and one end of a wire I'I housed in a conduit I8. The other end of wire I'i lconnects with a switch I9 housed in compartment 29 in jaw 2; said compartment being closed bya removable plug; as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Switch I9 is L-shaped and has secured to its base a spring 2i, seated in said compartment, and the other end is mounted in reciprocal slidable fashion in a guide 22. When jaw 3 engages jaw v2, switch I9 is forced to compress the spring 2| and switch I9 moves out of engagement with thecontact 23 Vthat engages said switch i9 when the jaws are sufciently opened the switch is closed; since the spring forces the switch against the contact 23. y y Contactj23 has `one end of the wire 24 connected thereto its other end being connected to the contact 25; said wire being housed in the conduit 26. A contact 21 connects one end of .the wire28 and its other end is connected tothe metallic'ring 6;V said wire 28 is also housed in the conduit` 26.

- Pif-manual switch 29 mounted upon jaw 2 in slidable Ion and off fashion and has a switch blade 39 depending therefrom into hole 3i in jaw` 2, and when moved over contacts 25-.-21

- closes an electrical circuit, hereinafter described,

- gagement with contact 23, and so also is -tne -switch 29 out of engagement with contacts 25 21 when it is moved toward the off legend shown in Fig; 1.Y Naturally, the switches being in vopen""pos'ition no current will flow; but when javi/ 3 'is' open (see dotted line position switch I9) and switch 29 is moved to on position, current flows as follows; from battery cells ill-'II through contact I2, lamp I3, reflector IE, wire Il,

Vswitch I9, contact 23, wire 24, contact 25, blade 30, contact 21, wire 28, ring 6 and spring 9 engaging battery cell I0.

It is obvious that manual switch 29 is used primarily by the operative for disconnecting the electrical circuit when no illumination is desired, and particularly in the day time when such light is not ordinarily needed. It is also obvious that when jaws 2-3 are open sufficiently to provide for switch part I9 to engage contact 23 (switch blade 30 being closed) the lamp is lit and reilects the light rays down into the bag portion thus illuminating the inside of the bag or purse.

It can now be readily understood .that I have produced afnovel and compact devicev comprising a complete lighting mechanism located in a single jaw of a purse or hand bag. The single jaw being formed of electrical insulating materiala constituting a receptacle and insulated support fforl the ielectrical equipment or lighting -mechanism.

The insulating material may be of hard rubber plastic or any other suitable'lplastic'compsition. This electrical insulating composition lends itself to both the molding or machining processes' of construction or to a combination of such processes.

As heretofore stated, this inventio-'isnottobe limitedA to the particular yillustration-but *is ini tended lfor adaptation to other types ofba'gs which *may fall within the scope of-'this inventionas claimed. l Dry-cell batteries areusually best'adaptedwith i'thisinvention and-by removing :cover Tthey may "be easily inserted into chamber 4.

Having described this invention, what f is *claimed is:

` 1.1A handbag comprising apa'ir'off-"movably l connected closure rjaws, onefof said-jawsfbeing electrically equipped with a complete* electric lighting means 4to illuminate `the interior lofthe 1 bag, the upper portion of said electrically equipped A'jaw comprising a rectangular-*bodyfof electrical insulating material as long as Saidjavws'aid'elec- -trically equipped jawbeingprovidedfwith aV longiitutlinal bore portion, \longitdinalfconduits and la compartment, saidcompartment having-afremov'able elosure'arld beingfindirect'coxmunicaf-tion with said condnits's'aidbore portion extending inwardly from one end of itsl-bodyef'andfter- "minating intermediate -the'f'endsof said bb'd-yfsaid bore por-tion having' 'different transverse -dmeng' sions comprising alsmallest bore portionfallargest fbore portion and-'an intermediate borell'p'ortion, f said-intermediate bore portion? being' I located bel tween thesmallest bore'lportionland"thelargest bore portion, the smallest bore portion having 'an -felectr'ical contact secured thereingthe intermediia'te bore portion receivinglbattery'l'cellsfi said Llargest bore portion -havingian electrical? contact ringsecured therein, said ring having `arem'ov'able 1 closure therein constituting an: electrical' conductortoY electricallylconnect a battery eellfw'ithsaid ring, said electrically equipped jawchaving'f-a "=transverse cavity portion thereinextendingupwardly from thebottom side of Ysaid `jaw and inl' `tersecting Vsaid smallest bore portion,fs'aid-1ltrans --verse cavity portion'having anoutw-a'rdly ared contour into which acombined shield and'lreectoris seated and securedysaid l shieldl being 'pro- -vided with means therein `to receiveanz-electric -light bulbV and detachablylmaintain it thereinrto Yconstitute an electrical connectionf ff between -the -shield and the velectrical contact aforesaid, said 14 electric lighting means having an automatic switch and a manually operated switch interposed therein, said automatic switch being 1ocated in said compartment, said compartment having guide means in one of its walls located next adjacent the other jaw, a movable part of said automatic switch extending from said compartment through said guide means into the path of the other jaw, said manually operated switch l0 being located on said electrically equipped jaw for f' vselective manipulation.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 in which -said electric lighting means is provided with electric conductors extending through said conduits l-'ff'andconnecting the switches to each other and to both the shield and the contact ring, said conductors comprising bare plain uninsulated wire.

f 35-'In a handbag construction and electric lighting equipment therefor, the construction comprising a'handbag jaw, the upper portion of said jaw comprising` a rectangular body of electrically insulating kmaterial extendingthroughout the full "'leng'th thereof said body Ihavingtherein a-'longitudinal bore portion, longitudinal conduits-and@ compartmentrsaid compartment--being-in direct lcommunication withsaid conduits, said borefp'ortion extending from one endfof said bodyto-the central portion thereof, said bore portion-having three different transversezdi-me-nsions comprising va-smallestbore portion, ari-intermediate bore portion` and a largestbore-'portiong `said v.smallest bore portion --beingcentrally located lin ,saidvbody and supportingan electricalcontact secured `therein, said largest bore portion being-located -in one end of -|said body and h'avingl'- an r electrical l contact ring Vsecuredlthereinfsaidlintermediate bore portion being locatedl'b'etwe'eni--theI other; bore-portions, said body-h'aVing-atransverse cavityxportion extending upwardly -from the' bottom Y side-'of 0' said body and' intersecting said smallest bore 4portion,v said transverse cavity portion beingflared outwardly" landireceivinga combined.?shield, reector. vand' electrical-damp bulb socketf secured thereim one of vsaid conduitshaving a transverse opening therein .acc'ommci'dating 4 a switch, .said compartment having a guide opening in one'offits A-lwalls receiving and guiding a-movab'le'part'oi an additional switch.

` :CHARLESMHENRY BAUGH.

I REFERENCES CITED V"'Thef" following references-are f 'of record #inf-the "i'llel'of `this patent: l UITED STATES" PTENTS 

